THREE DEPART ROMA AS TOTTI PLANS SIGNINGS
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Teen defender Alessio Romagnoli has been loaned to Vitesse.
Francesco Totti has confirmed that three players have left Roma, one of which on loan. Backup goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont has left for Ajaccio for €115,000, versatile midfielder Marquinho has been sold to Cagliari for €3,000,000, and promising young defender Alessio Romagnoli has been loaned to Vitesse for the season.
Lobont had only made 22 Serie A appearances in his last four years at Roma and so departed for France to find first team football. Lukasz Skorupski will likely now play second fiddle to Morgan De Sanctis between the sticks, who recently signed for the Giallorossi from Napoli. Lobont will hope to finish off his career with first team football in this league that he had never before played in.
The sale of Marquinho has come under slight criticism from the fans. The midfielder had enjoyed a very decent season last term, managing to score 4 goals in Serie A. The Brazilian was sold with little hesitation, however, when Cagliari came into the picture with a somewhat paltry €3M fee. This sale has, however, made space for a potential new signing in midfield. Francesco Totti has also said before that he is looking to add a more Italian flare to the side, perhaps explaining the release of this Brazilian.
Roma’s third departure is not a sale but a loan. Alessio Romagnoli, one of Roma’s most promising youth prospects, has been loaned to Vitesse Arnhem for the remainder of the season, though has a recall clause should the capital city side need him. The towering central defender will surely benefit from first team action as he looks to develop into the rock of the Giallorossi’s future defense.
Having now sold three players, the new boss Totti has slightly more funds to strengthen his side ahead of the upcoming 2013-2014 season. He is apparently looking to bring a new central midfielder to the side and PSG’s Marco Verratti, Fiorentina’s Alberto Aquilani, and AZ Alkmaar’s Markus Henrikson are at the top of his list. Each would bring added quality to midfield and create even bigger competition for places.
Since Morgan De Sanctis is already 36 years of age, Totti is also looking for a long term replacement between the sticks. Genoa starlet Mattia Perin is the current target, though he may be loaned back to Genoa for the season to get first team action should he be signed, with a fee of around €1M being the most commonly mentioned.
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